Code Blue alerts helping reduce frostbite injuries at U of U Health Burn Center
Jan 17, 2025, 4:00 PM
Director of University of Utah Health Burn Center Giavonni Lewis, left, and University of Utah Health Burn Center Community Outreach Coordinator Courtney Lawrence address frostbite at a press conference outside the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (Tess Crowley/Deseret News)
(Tess Crowley/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — Doctors at the University of Utah Health’s Burn Center are warning people to watch out for frostbite as we enter winter’s coldest months. They’re also calling Code Blue alerts a success.
Burn Center Director Dr. Giavonni Lewis said before Code Blue alerts began in 2023, they’d see around 30 patients for cold-related injuries like frostbite.
“We’ve seen at least a half in the number of admissions to our hospital for frostbite injuries [since then],” Lewis said.
Utah Office of Homeless Services Director Tricia Davis Winter said they’ve enacted 66 Code Blues since Oct. 15, helping unsheltered people experiencing homelessness find emergency shelters to get out of the cold.
Burn Center Community Outreach Coordinator Courtney Lawrence said they’ve been teaching outreach street teams how to recognize frostbite symptoms and give out clothes to help people warm up.
Even though the number of people the hospital treats for frostbite is down, Burn Center surgeon Dr. Irma Fleming said people need to remember it doesn’t have to be freezing for someone to get frostbite.
“It doesn’t have to be 32 degrees. If you’re wet and you’re cold, the moisture actually cools you off even more. So if you’re sweating in your socks, your feet are wet. And you’re outside doing snow activities and it still may be 35 degrees outside. You may still have some frostbite symptoms,” Fleming said.
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